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Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. – Apple Inc.

RIP Steve

I love a good manifesto. So simple, pure, powerful full of intent. A great way to define a brand.

This one for Holstee sums up a lot of things for me. It’s got a life of it’s own too – reblogged 100,001 times and printed into posters and cards.

“Human nature has been sold short…[humans have] a higher nature which…includes the need for meaningful work, for responsibility, for creativeness, for being fair and just, for doing what is worthwhile and for preferring to do it well”

- Abraham H. Maslow

Relevance, simplicity and humanity will distinguish brands in the future

Scott Bedbury

A New Brand World by Scott Bedbury was the first branding book I bought (from the incomparable, block sized Powell’s books in Portland, OR.)

I picked it up again recently and it was great to re-visit what Scott was saying about brands almost ten years ago. So much of what Scott was saying rings true – “brand strength not brand awareness”. And he seems to have predicted the impact that social media would have on brands: “everything matters”.

My favourite quote is the one above though. It’s the last principle of the book and he’s got a reverent, sage transcendental tone going ,like he’s suddenly realised what its all about. It seems like the best advice to brands ten years on: be relevant, simple and human.

Let me know if you want to borrow the book!

Don’t mess with Texas is such a great example of a social marketing brand: a tough challenge, insight, bold creative. It’s got it all!

The state of Texas had a problem: there was a lot of litter everywhere. Their research highlighted that most of the litter was made by males aged between 25 and 40 throwing litter from pick-up trucks. Further research with this audience highlighted that they were proud and protective of their state.

Neither of these are ground breaking insights. But it’s the way the insight was used to craft a brand that speaks to the audience that is so effective. The campaigners had the humility and wisdom to look past their perspective on the issue and use a different hook to achieve the same goal.

Don’t mess with Texas!

Groundhog Day is one of my favourite films.

Phil Connors’ experience is all about taking and the drudgery that comes from that. The clock flipping over. His approach is entirely selfish: shortcutting the system – using it to exploit people and get rich. And he gets stuck in a loop going nowhere.

But during the party it transpires that he’s changed. He’s been helping people. He’s no longer just eating cake and punching Ned Flanders in the face. He’s learned the piano to help people have a good time! He’s helping x do this and y do that. And suddenly he’s not stuck anymore. He’s broken free. He’s realised that life is about giving. About enabling others. He’s become generous.

(Wait for the tenuous brand connection. Oh here it is.)
It strikes me that this is what brands should do. Realise life is about what you make happen. Who you can help? What unexpected thing can you do? Be generous.

This is the last bag of Santa Lucia Naranjo available anywhere.

It’s from a Square Mile – a coffee roastery who specialise in coffee from ‘-’ – small, single estates from a specific place. The soil type, micro-climate and preparation of the beans result in distinct characteristics that roasters like Square Mile try to bring out and emphasise. And when coffee from a micro-lot runs out its gone. It might be back next year, but maybe it’ll be different.

This whole approach, of micro-lots and emphasising differences in flavour, is called third wave coffee. And it’s exploding: micro-roasteries, coffee shops and blogs are popping up all over.

Compare it to Starbucks / Costa / Nero / Illy, which is all about trying to eliminate those differentiations in flavour to create a repeatable, recognisable coffee. Sure, these companies rescued us from the terrible stuff that passed off as coffee before, but now their approach seems McDonald’s-esque. A frapa-capa-chapplino tasting the same anytime anywhere.

So where is your brand? Is it stuck in second wave? What can you apply from the third wave approach?

• Celebrate difference. Recognise that people maybe don’t want a homogenous experience and see where you can offer variety and interest.
• Talk up to your customers. Third wave coffee respects their customers ability to understand and care, thereby engaging them more. Whether it’s the great chat at Federation Coffee, or a small card supplied with the coffee telling you how to make it at home, recognising that people want to and are capable of learning is the way to go.
• Bring stories to the front. These stories give reason and meaning to the difference, so bring them out. The packs on the front of Square Mile coffee are a great example:

• Scarcity is OK. When it’s gone, it’s gone. That creates demand and increases value.
• Less is more. Third wave places have much smaller cups. Move over Venti. Often no S/M/L choice either. But’s that’s all part of it – quality not quantity.
• Increase the touch points. Third-wave stores often have many more touch points: equipment for sale, barista lessons at Prufrock coffee, coffee subscriptions as well as more time to chat.

What can you do with your brand to make it go third wave?